The soldier, identified as Matthew Livelsberger (37) of Colorado, likely planned to cause more damage, but the steel-sided vehicle absorbed much of the force from the rudimentary explosive.
The incident left one person inside the truck dead and seven others injured.
The incident came just hours after another vehicle ploughed into a crowd of pedestrians in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana, leaving 15 people dead and many more hurt.
Damage from the blast was mostly limited to the interior of the truck.